Robert

ponyboy66
Believe me, there's nothing I'd like better than to see us kick the world's butt again. I'm just not sure what that means anymore in a global economy.

I mean, the new Mustang is built in Ford's new plant. But the plant itself is a precise duplicate of a state-of-the-art Mazda plant in Japan. The Mustang is built on an assembly line adjacent to the Mazda 6 in this new plant. The Mustang even uses the exact same door handle part as the Mazda 6! I think it's great, quality-wise, but what is an "American" car these days?

There's just really no such thing as a 100% "made in anywhere" car anymore.

That said, bring on the new Stang, I can't wait to drive one! It's banana time again:

ponyboy66

I will say this.
I have been in automotive for about 12 years.
The company I work for manufactures parts for the '05 fuel system.
Ford has been the toughest and I mean the toughest to satisfy with this project. The tolerances that they are holding us too have never been attempted before. They will not back down either. We have submitted change request after change request only to be denied. "If you can't produce, we will find someone who can". I got to give it to ford for that. They are acting as if they are second to no one.

vega

AGAIN I BEG YOU GUYS

Can we stop putting such disturbing/misleading titles on the topics?? How 'bout a "what if"???

jgsmuzzy

Yeah, it did make me go "WTF???? "

I calmed down a bit after reading the first post!

EleanorsMine

Um no.... I drove one foreign car ever, and despised it. I don't deal with foreign cars. Ford or GM only.

Mustang yes- If I wanted a cougar I would go get one. Distinctive mustang such as the 05- double yes.

Third- I like cars that appeal to me.Thats why I bought a sunbird(it was red and black!) when they came out, Neon(it was cute like a bug) when they did and Alero when they did(Also liked the bug eyes, no spoiler for me). Also why I am buying the mustang. First model year only. And no more used up cars ever.

adrenalin

I swear I saw a Japanese mustang the other day. It was a 97 GT with those stupid potato laucher mufflers. Sounded like a dying cow driving down the road.

CUON24

You've clearly missed the point. "American built" is not "simply" ANYTHING. Assembled here as a whole in the U.S.? Put the crack pipe down. If that's your defining criteria, you are in for some serious disappointment. Would you consider the Focus, penned in Europe in built in Hermosillo (Mexico) to be "all American?" Would you dub the Nissan Titan, the production of which employs (and by implication, FEEDS) hundreds of American workers, to be somehow "un-American?" Your desire to "see American workers building [your] car" is admirable, but on those grounds alone which of the above would you drive?


You might consider becoming a little more politically "in tune." I will concede that W's administration was not the first to see American jobs outsourced to other countries if YOU concede that no other president in U.S. History has ever made it so easy (and indeed rational) for American firms to do so. References on this topic (and the specific tax/labor policies that give rise to it) are widely available.


*****Again by saying don't read too much into it....***** of course the line between American cars has blurred...i am not ignorant enough to say that any car is truly 'American' im simply saying i am a fan of domestics. You can pick out any vehicle and say that parts of it are done here or there but to me Ford is an American company.... and i think 99.9% of people will agree.

Which leads to my other point in my first statement....of course Ford outsources ....why?simply because its cheaper. They want an affordable automobile for the majority of the public. Is that a bad thing? no...virtually everything we buy, in some shape or form, has come from another country. If Ford didnt have to deal with the 90 percent of b.s. lawsuits maybe we would have a different story.

The only good thing that Toyota has done has been raise the bar for "American" car companies. The 05 mustang is living breathing proof.


The bush administration has not been perfect, but i think we can all agree the man has had his fair share to deal with, moreso than anyother president of my generation at least. On a side note i would like to see some of those articles...and hopefully its not from a local paper....Ann Arbor is great and all but their whole viewpoint on the world is a little different...i mean where else can you go where you can only get a $5 ticket for smoking pot in front of a cop when the rest of the country deems it illegal?

ace0215

dude...loving your country has nothing to do with whether you buy an american built car.

bsmith13

I will leave all of the geo-socio-political analysis to you all; you are far better at it than I am.

However, I don't believe that a Japanese DESIGN could appeal to me on an emotional level the way that the Mustang does. (Where the car is made has nothing to do with it. I'm talking about DESIGN PHILOSOPHY). The closest would be the Datsun 240Z. The Nissan 350Z is a nice looking car, but I don't start involuntarily drooling when I see one.

CUON24

Being from the Dearborn area...it means a lot...before this thread turns into a flame war and gets locked...lets end it...we have all made valid points. I agree with a lot of you and you have all contributed something...lets just keep this forum the way it was and share the one thing we all DEFINATELY have in common the 05 stang.

05stangGT

I agree with CUON2.

I work at Ford and there are definitly rumors that there is some big news coming regarding Ford and Toyota. I heard of this last night and it's interesting that this topic was posted. Folks around here are saying that the big news will be shared with employees this week. I'm a little scared. There's nothing like Ford and there's NOTHING like a Ford Mustang -- I'm sure you all agree.

Purple Hayz

And this is a bad thing? $5 citation for pot, $20 citation for parking. Ann Arbor backwards? Never!

As for the outsourcing fiasco, sources range from the Associated Press to the New York Times to CNN Money. You will find dirt on W's Commerce Department, his Treasury Secretary, and even his own economic reports....

Click here for a good list of references.

Purple Hayz

I don't think the mods will lock this one down. The convention in this forum has always been for more sophisticated, thoughtful, and respectful debate (though we all slip up a bit from time to time B) ) Seriosly though, that's part of what makes this site different. Much like the '05 Stang, it's simply a cut above the rest. :worship:

Amen to that

DragonKeper

I agree. To me there is nothing like the design of the Mustang.

GTJOHN

As long as the Mustang is built in the U.S., I am going to buy it!
If I want a Japanese car, I'll buy a Z.

holderca1

The Toyota Mustang was just released this morning haven't you seen it? here's the link... www.roushperf.com

Purple Hayz

Sounds like a definite step in the right direction, and from what we've all seen of the pre-production Mustangs, Ford's efforts really show

Tell me, I've often heard mumblings about suppliers having double standards, sending polished, tight fitting panels to the imports and coursely grained crap to the domestics (an exaggeration I know, but you get my point). As and insider, can you verify? Do domestics use the same suppliers as imports? Are there indeed different standards (which would seem a little odd). Or are the parts simply designed to the specifications demanded by the auto-manufactueres? (in which case the domestics might be somewhat to blame themselves)

Purple Hayz

Not precisely accurate. Take a look at the price of Toyotas - they're far from cheap. They have, however, developed an unparalleled reputation for quality and dependibility.

That's the chief reason for their remarkable sales growth. Honda is a very close second for the same reasons...and in fact, Honda's are a little cheaper than Toyotas. [/b][/quote]
Well put. For many folks, VALUE is the name of the game. It's all about how much car you can buy for the dollar. And most any conscientious buyer will factor in things like quality and reliability. As your point suggests, if base price were the bottom line, we'd all be driving KIAs :shock:

Maverick128

Toyota Mustang, hmmmmm, you mean one of these?

kevinb120

OOHHHH THE HUMANITY, MAKE THAT ROUSH GO AWAY